I Love You, Brother
by Kitten Meru
Summary: Loki looks down at the wreckage he has caused. Thor reminds him that there was another option all along. Thor and Loki, brotherly love. Also a bit of Sleipnir for giggles. oneshot.


This came to me in the middle of the night and it begged to be written. It was originally supposed to be a Thorki, but that apparently didn't happen. I love them as brothers just as much as I love them as a couple. I had to add Sleipnir in there too, because I love him. And I love adding details of the legends into the movieverse, I think Movie Loki would be adorable as a father :D

"Is this what you wanted, brother?" He says as he gestures around to the burning, crumbling city around him. Explosions, screams, battle, these are the only things that can be heard. Destruction is the only thing present. Death, chaos.

Then the metal man diverts a projectile weapon into the portal. I watch as it closes, I watch the resulting explosion and I watch as my army falls.

"The humans would choose to destroy themselves if it meant freeing themselves from you." I can see that now. The explosion that resulted from the weapon would have destroyed everything around, a giant hole of nothingness would be all that was left. Did the humans view what he was doing as such a wrong thing that they would destroy themselves to avoid it?

What I wanted was to rule them. Pitiful humans with no real power, not like the people of Asgard or any other realm. A weak race, really, but fairly technologically advanced. Taking their will away did not seem to diminish their ability to produce such wonders, so what was so wrong?

"Do you enjoy your free will, brother?" Thor asks. I nod, and look at him like he is stupid, looking back and forth between him and the wreckage. The metal man falls from the sky.

"Then do you not think others would enjoy it as well?" Thor always wants what is best for the little guy, he has always been sympathetic and kind, even to humans.

Even to him.

Did not all the years of their youth go by with Thor comforting him, laughing with him, playing and fighting with him? Thor always saw the good in him, the person in him when all others saw was the little prince, the one who would never rule. Especially the Allfather, who knew what he truly was, never treated him equally.

"What is free will when I am denied the opportunities that are so rightfully mine? why should humans enjoy free will when I cannot? You stand there defending these creatures while they enjoy freedoms that I have never had, that I will never have! I am a Jotun, raised by the king of Asgard, there is no denying that. I am an outcast wherever I go and the only way to ensure my rights is to take them where I can. You would never understand, you are the mighty Thor, future king. Everything you have ever wanted lay before you, you need only take it. Even you are not so much of an imbecile to not know this."

I turn from him, from everything. I am angry at my brother. He has what I will never have. Opportunities, power, and the love and trust of everyone around him. What I wouldn't do for what he has.

Arms gently snake around my waist and I jump slightly. A head rests on my shoulder. I can smell Thor's breath, what kind of strange midgard food has he last eaten? I don't want to know. I am confused as he holds me close, unlike he ever has before, even in our happy childhoods when I was young and naive.

"I cannot deny that you have been treated unfairly. I begrudge the Allfather this, but have I not always treated you fairly brother? Have I not always been there when you needed me? I may not always see your pain, but I have always tried to help when I did. Please, come home. I love you, and I miss you."

Thor does not lie to me, he never has and I doubt he ever will. I believe him when he says this. And I can see it - my return to Asgard with my beloved brother, his large hand on my shoulder, grinning as he does, smiling and laughing, and we would feast together and drink mead as we always did when someone returns home. Odin and Frigga would, as always, treat me differently; I know this. But it is all I have known, and I have dealt with it thus far. And then there is Thor, who would greet me every day with open arms and a new adventurous idea.

"It cannot be that easy." I have given up, even when I would like to think I haven't. My army has fallen, "the Avengers" would have me locked away. What option is there for me but to return to Asgard and a semblance of normality?

"The Allfather will forgive you. Mother loves you, Loki, she wants you home. I want you home." Thor's arms tighten around me and I subconsciously lean back into them, how I love my brother despite it all.

"No one but you will be truly happy if I return." I reason. Even so, I know that it will be enough - I am just stubborn.

"That is untrue. Sleipnir also misses you." I can almost hear him grinning at me.

"You can't know that, he is a horse. Besides, that is different - he is my son, of course he will miss me." And even as I say this, I realize what he is getting at.

"Yes. And family will always miss family. Our family misses you, they wish for your safe return." He turns me in his arms and I can see on his face what he reads on mine. I love my brother, I miss my family despite the injustices. I am jealous of my brother - this entire endeavour was a result of this - but I love him still. Thor knows this when he looks at me, I can see it in his wide smile and the way he hugs me close once again. Without having to say it, my choice has been made.

"Ready to give up? We kicked your ass, Loki, admit it." comes the cocky voice of the metal man. I look over my brother's shoulder to see that he is not wearing his armour's helmet - and he is flanked by the rest of his strange group of humans.

I grin at them, full of confidence once more. "I am a god, I will never give up, and I will always win." Thor stands at my side, grinning with me, he knows my mind.

"your army is gone, your sceptre is broken and you've nowhere to run. In case it wasn't clear, you've lost." was smoothly spoken by the only woman in the group. She may be beautiful and skilled, but not always smart.

"I never lose. I simply choose the second path when the first turns out to yield a smaller prize." I stood straight and proud next to my brother, a familiar feeling of safety and camaraderie filling me once more after so long.

"The only choice you have now is prison." boldly spoken by the super soldier. Another strange 'hero' who has more brawn than brain - very like Thor, but so different.

"I'm sorry," I say with false sincerity. "but I won't be locked up in whatever prison you've dreamed up for me. I have a son waiting for me at home and he eagerly awaits my return." I throw that in half for shock value and half to make Thor smile. Thor does smile, and throws an arm around my shoulders like we are best friends - which I suppose we are.

None of the 'heroes' seem to know what to say to that - they stand there with blank or confused expressions on their faces. I notice that the bowman is holding a contraption which contains the tesseract - I step forward and take it from him as he is distracted. Before anyone can protest, I hand the contraption to my brother. After a moment of strange silence from them, half protest and half stare blankly once again. Thor holds the device before me and it takes me but a moment to figure out how it works. It is meant not only to contain the cube, but also activate it in a controlled way - a miniature version of the device I had made.

Wish a quick mocking smile and wave to the stunned 'heroes', I activate the device and we - my brother and I - are on our way home again.

We appear on the broken bridge of the bifrost, I am surprised by this although I don't know why. I hear a strange noise behind me - as if there are horses tap-dancing behind me. Ah.

In the next moment I am bowled over by a tall grey stallion with eight legs - and it promptly leans down to nuzzle my face as Thor laughs uproariously at my predicament.

I grunt in slight pain but smile nonetheless. "Hello Sleipnir, I missed you too." I pat my son affectionately on the nose as Thor helps me up. He smiles at me and leads me to walk towards the palace.

"You know, I thought you were joking." Thor just continues to laugh at me


End file.
